my high energy 7 year old still needs some bit of outdoor activity after school to help her relax enough to sleep.

dd is a nightowl. most nights she doesnt have time left over to read. seh is the sort like many others here where reading 'wakes her up'. i am that way too so i understand. on days even after exercise when she cannot sleep - i lay down with her and either gently massage her face or scratch rub her back while i tell her a story - either make up one or talk about family history. for dd i know story telling really helps her work out the extra intellectual energy that she needs to get out of her system.

she is right now on spring break and is rarely asleep before midnight. she never went to bed before midnight till she started first grade.

How much time does she have to read in a day? Does she get to lose herself in a book at any other point in the day? My dd1 is very good about turning off the light and going to sleep as long as she has had enough time to read during the day, otherwise, she stays up late (which would not be a problem if she would learn to sleep in--but that is a separate issue).

I know that, for me, I will sacrifice sleep for reading, too. I love audio books for this purpose because they help me to wind down, and I can listen in the dark, which helps me to drift off faster.